GRINNELL, Iowa – It was a thriller down to the wire, but in the end the Illinois College women's basketball team escaped Darby Gymnasium with a 55-52 victory over Grinnell College Saturday afternoon.
 
The Pioneers lit up the nets early, breaking out to a 19-14 lead by the end of the first period. Grinnell (7-11, 4-7 Midwest Conference) went up by 10 early in the second period when Skylar Thomas' '26 trey made it 22-14.
 
The visitors gradually crept back though, eventually going up 28-26 when the Pioneers closed the frame with an 7-0 run that included a 3-pointer by Eva Carchidi '24, free throw from Sara Booher '25 and 3-pointer by Nikki Ware '25 that made it 33-28 at intermission.
 
Illinois College (7-12, 5-6) came back to take a 44-43 lead by the end of three periods to set up the thrilling conclusion. Grinnell tied the game with two Ware free throws with 26 seconds left, making it 52-all.
 
After an Illinois College basket with 9 seconds left, Grinnell turned the ball over. The Lady Blues were then fouled and made one of two shots, but a trey attempt at the buzzer by Grinnell fell short to secure the win for the visitors.
 
Grinnell rode a balanced scoring attack that saw Lillis, Ware and Thomas all score 11 points. Thomas also had eight rebounds, while Booher and Ware dished out three assists each.
 
The Pioneers have another key MWC contest Tuesday when Cornell College visits Darby Gymnasium. Tip-off is 5:30 p.m.